Ohakim: How Archbishop Obinna, Mbaka and Religious miscalculation created the Imo State of today

Many people believe that Imo State fell apart from 2011.

Imo people saw the worst in governance, from 2011 to 2019. Yet, due to the foundation created within that period, Imo is still not out of the woods.

The removal of Chief Dr. Ikedi Ohakim on trumped up religious charges, amongst other blackmail, was the hallmark of Imo’s downward spiral politically and even socially.

Many believe, that silent denominational struggles, landed Imo State were she is today.

Dr. Ikedi Ohakim as Govenror, was from the Anglican denomination. His deputy, Ada Okwuonu was also Anglican. But it didn’t stop there. His Chief of Staff who was also his younger brother, Emma Ohakim was Anglican, as was the Secretary to the Government, Chief Justice of the State, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly and even the Accountant General, were all Anglicans.

There is this silent agreement, that both major denominations are usually balanced in governance. Chief Achike Udenwa was Catholic but his Deputy was Anglican. Even the brief stay of Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha saw him an Anglican, correcting Ohakim’s mistake, and picked a Catholic deputy.

Ohakim’s all Anglican cabinet, was believed by political analysts, as the major reason why the Catholic Church kept quiet, and even encouraged the story of the flogging of a Reverend Father, a story Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka, who sang the song that help remove Ohakim, would later come to publicly apologize to Ohakim and admit that the story was false.

AJV Obinna, probably realizing his mistake, and what he helped install in Imo State, would tender an indirect apology to Ohakim, by giving him an award as the best governor of Imo State in Education.

But by then, the deed had been done, and Imo fell into the hands of Rochas Okorocha who is inarguably, Imo’s worst Govenror, unless Hope Uzodinma, with the way he is going, doesn’t beat that record.

Archbishop AJV Obinna’s silent and even open campaign against Ohakim, with Mbaka’s hyping of the Rev Father story, created the Imo State we find ourselves in today.

This goes to show that religious leaders should face their callings of preaching the gospel, and speaking out when things are bad, rather than playing partisan politics, as the same Rochas Okorocha who was installed by AJV Obinna, would turn around to accuse the Archbishop of doing.

If Ohakim’s inner circle had carried Catholics along, the Rev Father story may not have been manipulated against him, and Imo would have been very developed, but religious sentiments have throw Imo almost 50 years behind our neighbors.